First Glance
by psychodramabeautyfish
Summary: Kurda's first trip to Vampire Mountain - where he meets Gavner.


**Meetings**

Trees, foothills, rocky outcrops…

"Kurda?"

Bends in the river, cliffs, surrounding valleys…

"Kurda?"

I had heard him the first time, but I figured that I had a few more seconds left before he started shouting.

Smaller mountains, undergrowth, tunnel entrances…

"KURDA!"

"I'm coming I'm coming!" I muttered, reluctantly tearing my eyes away from the spectacular view and hurrying after my master. My fingers were itching for some grid paper and a pencil.

I glanced quickly back over my shoulder as we ducked into the tunnel, hoping for one last look, but my view was obscured by the black rock.

I sighed heavily, and that was the last of the outside world I was going to see for the next how long?

Three years since I'd been blooded and besides the journey to Vampire Mountain how much travelling had we done? Next to none! And it was beginning to get to me.

I wanted to go places, see the world, see different places, new cultures, but so far the only new culture I'd seen involved wandering around at night ambushing unsuspecting humans.

The chance to travel was just at my scarred fingertips but that didn't mean it was coming any closer!

"How do you know where to go?" I asked my master suddenly, realising that there were many tunnels branching off from the one we were following.

He stopped. "Do you see the arrows?" he said, pointed to a rough arrow etched into the rock. "We follow those."

I nodded. "But what about these other tunnels? Where do they lead?"

He shrugged. "Some come out in the side of the mountain, others lead deeper in, and some lead no where."

I frowned. "Hasn't someone bothered to find out?"

"There is no need." He replied.

"Wouldn't it be practical?" I asked. "There might be quicker ways to the Halls?"

"We have a perfectly good route as it is Kurda," he snapped. "There is no need to go snooping about just to find other routes that may not even exist when we have one already."

"But-" I began to protest.

"Don't be pedantic."

"I'm not being-"

"Kurda, that's enough!"

I stopped asking, I could see there was no point. It was like trying to get blood from a stone.

I sighed again, already missing the openness and fresh air of outside. I had to spend weeks cooped up inside this stuffy mountain? With dark tunnels and no fresh air and nothing too look at? No sky, no trees, no stars…

Great. Just great.

Were vampires all agoraphobics or what? Opposed to open spaces? Maybe I could claim to be claustrophobic…

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I walked straight into my master.

"Watch where you're going!" He snapped, knocking on something.

"Well excuse me…" I muttered under my breath.

Why had we stopped? I strained to see in the darkness, there appeared to be a large wooden door blocking our way, and this was what my master had knocked on.

I peered to see if there were any markings on it, and was suddenly blinded by a flare of torchlight. I gasped and shielded my eyes. A little warning might have been nice!

"Address yourselves to the gate." Said a voice, and I squinted to see who had spoken.

The speaker was one of three vampires, all wearing green and holding vicious looking weapons. They were looking at me.

So were these gate guards? Or just regular guards? Was the green a uniform? Vampires needed guards? Why was there a guarded gate? Who was likely to attack the Vampires? And in any case, even if someone did how would they find their way up all those tunnels without a map?

My master replied first and, after a nudge, I copied.

"K-Kurda Smahlt." I blurted, and after another nudge, "Come to seek council."

They studied me curiously.

I stared calmly back, although it irritated me – was I a museum exhibit?

"He is a half-vampire, my assistant." Said my master, breaking the silence.

"Do you vouch for him?" asked the tallest guard.

I rolled my eyes though none of them saw.

"I do."

And they finally let us in. I don't want to speak ill of tradition but it seemed a fairly pointless exercise to me. I mean, if a well known vampire turns up with an unrecognized person in tow isn't it fairly obvious that they'll be a new recruit? It was only common sense, what are they likely to be - lunch?

Normally, following behind my master I'd be looking around, stopping to look at things (and driving him batty in the process) but here there was nothing for me too look at except rock so I stared miserably down at the floor, trying not to wish for the fresh outside air rather than the hot, stuffy tunnel air that was uncomfortable to breathe in.

For the second time, I was so lost in my thoughts that in what seemed like seconds later we came out into a cave.

It was small, the walls covered with dirt and grime and it was lit by several open fires which made the air horribly hot, thick and smoky, making me all the more desperate to get back outside.

There were roughly carved tables, and baskets of shoes on the walls (I didn't ask why).

I spotted a large black stone set into one of the walls, which I discovered after further inspection was covered in names, presumably names of vampires who had arrived, because as I watched, a slim vampire with mousy brown hair scratched my name and my masters into it with a sharp flint.

The written letters made me feel nostalgic for my room at my human house, for my books and my maps and my writing inks.

Now feeling truly miserable I coughed a bit, tried not to remember that I'd brought this upon myself because that just made me feel worse, and sat down next to my master trying to keep quiet.

Food came from somewhere, unusually I didn't notice where because I was busy drowning in my self pity, and I took a half heated mouthful of stale bread, not feeling at all hungry.

In the end I ate some bat-broth, figuring I had to eat something, and after I had I felt a little better.

My master was talking to another vampire who looked like he'd got into an argument with a mincing machine, so I fell back into my comforting, age-old habit of surveying every inch of my surroundings, taking in every tiny detail.

There were seven tables in all, and the legs were carved out of what looked like animal bones, as was my bowl I discovered. There were only two other vampires in the hall so, as there was nothing else to do, I settled for watching them.

They were deep in conversation, and the broader one was obviously ribbing his taller friend about something, and I could hear his laugh from my place at the other side of the cave.

The taller one was dressed entirely in red, and had bright orange hair. He was trying very hard not to react to any of his friend's ribbing but looked like he was fighting off a grin.

His friend was shorter, broader, and built like an army truck.

The one with orange hair said something I couldn't hear but it was obviously funny because Mr. Army Truck burst into booms of laughter which echoed around the hall like happy thunder.

I smiled despite myself, that laugh was contagious.

While I was grinning, the vampire with orange hair suddenly looked straight at me.

I jumped and lowered my gaze towards the table so my blonde hair fell over my eyes – but I was still looking at them through my fringe.

He smirked and elbowed his companion, jerking his head in my direction. His friend looked over at me curiously, and then said something. The red-clad vampire shrugged and they both stood up.

I swore quietly under my breath, they were coming over!

I tugged on my master's cloak, meaning to ask if we could leave but he shrugged me off with a: "Not now Kurda!"

I cringed and fixed my eyes on the table although I could see them coming closer out of the corner of my eye.

I saw them stop the other side of the table and gingerly looked up.

The ginger one looked bored, but his friend was smiling.

I licked my lips nervously.

Up close I could see that his face was etched with small scars, and his brown hair looked like he'd cut it himself in the dead of night with a pair of garden shears. The rims around his eyes were very black, and it was evident that he was unaccustomed to any expression apart from smiling.

He grinned at me.

"Hello."


End file.
